A Black Christmas
by seshhat
Summary: In which the members of the Black family are introduced to the general populace in their natural surroundings. It is Christmas Day, and Druella Black hurries her daughters to get ready. Last thing they need is to be late. Irma Black views lateness as a


In which the members of the Black family are introduced to the general populace in their natural surroundings. It is Christmas Day, and Druella Black hurries her daughters to get ready. Last thing they need is to be late. Irma Black views lateness as an unforgivable sin. Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa arrive at their Aunt and Uncle's home, the eldest two girls eager to see their young cousins. The day passes with only a few hiccups, but paints a portrait of the Black family as they gather to celebrate the season.

**A ****B****LACK ****C****HRISTMAS**

Druella Black tapped her foot impatiently and stared icily at the clock on the wall of the front parlour. Her black silk dress rustled elegantly as she crossed the room to stand in the entrance hall at the foot of the grand staircase. She listened. No sound. Well that was hardly surprising. Blackmere Hall was a large residence, and the bedrooms of her three daughters were in the far East Wing. Druella pursed her lips and went back into the parlour to wait. Settling herself on the settee, she picked up her wand and proceeded to work on her embroidery. A stern look was fixed to her stiffly handsome features; Druella Black did not appreciate being forced to wait.

The soft tapping of shoes echoed on the polished floor of the entrance hall. Mrs. Black glanced up, and her frown lessened as one of her daughters demurely entered and sat in an armchair opposite her. Nodding her approval, Druella turned back to her work. Neither said a word.

Narcissa folded her hand in her lap and watched her mother silently embroidering with the aid of her magic. The child's face was impassive, her pale blue eye coldly aware of her surroundings. Long pale blonde hair, as fine as though spun from spiders silk fell down her back in straight lines, and was held away from her face by two carefully placed pins that sparkled with diamonds. The clear complexioned skin which reflected the frosty blue glow of her lacy dress only added to the effect that this was not a real person, but merely a pastel painting.

Druella was annoyed at being kept waiting, but she was appeased a little by her youngest daughter's obvious beauty and elegance. A true Black in her proud manner, Narcissa nevertheless had inherited her beauty from her mother. As a young girl, Druella Rosier had been the most sought after belle in distinguished society. She had cultured in Narcissa a ladylike bearing, and it pleased her greatly to see her daughter behave as befitted her station in life. She would do well when she was older, and would find a suitable husband. That, as far as Druella was concerned, was the only true occupation for a well-bred witch. To marry well, and behave in a way that demonstrated the excellence of purity of magic and blood.

"Mamma?" the silence was spoiled by the calling of another voice on the stairs. Druella raised her eyebrows as another of her daughters entered the parlour. Andromeda's hands were busily trying to pin up stray strands of her dark brown hair. Her dark blue eyes were frustrated, and they sought out and implored Narcissa to help. The younger girl sighed and stood up to pin her sister's hair. Andromeda, thankful for the help, turned her attention back to her mother.

"Mamma, will this dress suit? Grandmother frowned so much last Christmas, that this year I've got no idea what I should wear. I'd rather not give her a chance to lecture me again – ".

A look from her mother silenced the tall girl. Druella set aside her embroidery and examined her seven-year-old daughter. Andromeda had chosen carefully. A simple burgundy dress with a velvet skirt and black embroidery on the bodice. It was tasteful and dressy, and sure to impress Druella's sharp-eyed mother-in-law, who never passed by a fault. Andromeda's hair however, was another story. Long and thick, it could have been beautiful, were it not for the fact that there was a stubborn wave that ran through it, refusing to allow the girl to leave it down. It had to be pinned up to keep neat. An unfortunate inheritance from her Great-Aunt Dorea. Nevertheless, Andromeda was a neat, well-behaved girl. Certainly not as gentile as Narcissa, but Druella approved.

While she appraised Andromeda, another figure dashed into the room. Tall and thin, Bellatrix was the image of her grandmother, a trait which never failed to please the old lady. Her black hair was long and slinky, and her dark eyes usually glowed with a mischievous aura. Bellatrix was her father's favourite, and the bane of her mother's temper.

"Bellatrix! Must you run about in that unseemly way?" Druella snapped at her eldest daughter. For once, Bellatrix had the grace to look abashed.

"I'm sorry mother." Her eyes sought out Andromeda. "Meda, have you seen my black shoes?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "Which ones? The heeled, or the flat, or the buckled, or the – "

"The heeled."

"You are not seriously going to wear those are you?" Narcissa asked, placing the final pin in Andromeda's hair.

A scowl passed over Bellatrix's dark features. "And if I am?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

Narcissa shrugged, and re-seated herself. "Be my guest. But Grandmother and Aunt Walburga are sure to think it unbecoming," she pronounced primly.

"Oh, them," Bellatrix snorted scornfully. "I'm starting school soon. I'm going to be _eleven_ in three months, for goodness sake!"

Druella watched this interlude between her daughters thoughtfully. She pursed her lips. Before she could say anything however, Andromeda responded.

"Bella, dear, maybe it would be better if you wear the buckled shoes. They're so pretty, and you've hardly worn them."

Bellatrix pouted at the lack of support. Andromeda hurriedly continued before her sister could begin another of her heated arguments.

"They've got a little heel, you know. And Grimmauld Place has so many stairs, and Aunt Walburga always makes you run around for things she wants. Your feet will be so tired if you wear those other shoes. You can wear them for Mamma's party next week." She looked to her mother for reassurance, and was happy to see her nod ever so slightly. "Mamma has said we may sit to dinner with the guests."

Bellatrix folded her arms and scowled. The other three occupants of the room held their breath. Finally, she nodded her agreement. "Fine. Meda, where are my buckled black shoes then?"

Andromeda smiled. Another argument safely negated. "In the upstairs sitting room, behind the settee against the window."

As Bellatrix hurried off to hunt out the shoes, her mother called after her. "And do hurry Bellatrix. Or we shall be late. Again," she muttered under her breath. Narcissa shook her head, and Andromeda simply looked bemused. Telling Bellatrix to hurry for fear of being late was like telling the sky not to rain because you were wearing your new party dress. The comment just rolled off her before she had even fully registered it.

Half an hour later, the flames in the front parlour fireplace at Number 12 Grimmauld Place roared and turned a crackling green. Stout black leather boots tapped impatiently in the doorway as a figure stepped from the flames. A demure young girl dusted off her dress, and turned to greet the waiting person.

"Grandmother. Merry Christmas."

The old lady's stern face melted a little at Narcissa's pretty manners. Such a charming little girl, and only just a child. Well, that was what good blood did for you.

The fireplace roared again, and another young girl tripped out. Literally. Bellatrix stumbled on the grate and nearly fell head first into her sister. Narcissa glared at her and moved away. Bellatrix ignored her and grinned up at her grandmother. Irma Black's eyebrows raised but she said nothing about the tall girl's lack of grace.

"Bellatrix, you have grown again since I last saw you! You must stop girl, or the young men will not be able to see over your head!"

Bellatrix wrinkled her nose. "Oh, boys!" she said mockingly. "Who needs boys? I'm only ten Grandmother. Boys are sooo boring. No fun in them at all."

"I'm sure our little cousins aren't boring though, are they?" Andromeda had arrived, and her mother closely followed. Irma acknowledged them both with a tilt of her head.

"Druella. Andromeda. Where is Cygnus? Not late I hope?"

"No no, Mother. He arrived back home late last night and is still resting. He will come soon. In time for lunch I expect." She pulled a narrow wand from her cloak, and waved it over her daughters. "Scourgify!" she said, cleaning the girls' clothes of ashes and soot.

A tall thin woman appeared behind the elder Mrs Black's stiff figure. Walburga Black looked trim and well, thought Druella. Well, it was all very good for some, she thought, thinking of her own rounded figure. Try having three children and then see how well your shape comes back.

Walburga gave no sign of being able to read her sister-in-law's thoughts. "Kreacher!" she screeched, causing Andromeda and Narcissa to wince. Bellatrix would have clapped her hands over her ears if it hadn't been for a shooting glance from her mother.

A small ugly house-elf wearing a dirty rag and an equally dirty look scurried into view. "Kreacher. Bring drinks now. Wine for the ladies; cordial for the girls. And find my son."

Kreacher backed away, bowing so low as he went that his long nose was nearly scraping the floor.

Walburga sniffed disdainfully, as though the wretched being had left a terrible odour. "Such a bother that one. No where near as good as its mother, Handora. Druella, my dear, it is good to see you."

"And you Walburga. How is the little one doing?"

"Better now. We had such trouble with that last illness. I had thought of getting a nanny. Young children are such nuisances – they take up so much time. And Sirius is such a handful. But then, I would have the trouble of finding someone suitable. You can't just hire _anyone_ you know."

"When can we see our little cousin Aunt?" Andromeda asked politely. She was eager to see the toddler, for Andromeda loved children, and her own cousins especially, but knew it best if she kept her distance. Aunt Walburga hated young children who could not keep their emotions in check. As it was, she had spotted Bellatrix bouncing slightly on her feet. The girl was tired of standing around, waiting for the pleasantries to be over, but you couldn't very well tell the adults that.

"Later, he is asleep now," her Grandmother cut in. "We must let him sleep." She sighed. "Oh, I can remember when Cygnus was a babe. Boys need a lot of rest you know. Such active little bodies. My, it is good to have more boys in the family. Too many girls," she said, shaking her head. Walburga gave a faint smile, while Druella frowned. So she had not given the Black family a son. Still, she had three good daughters, all of whom she was proud of. Let Walburga keep her two little brats.

The three women shooed the girls out of the sitting room. Once out in the hall, Andromeda shut the door quietly. Bellatrix shivered as she spotted a new addition above the door.

"This family has some odd traditions, but that takes the cake," she declared, pointing to a stuffed house-elf head mounted on the wall near the ceiling. Narcissa wrinkled her nose delicately, and turned away. Andromeda was inclined to agree with them both.

"Great-Aunt Elladora's idea. Father said she started it ages ago. That one's Kreacher's mother I guess. Horrid, isn't it?"

Bellatrix stuck her tongue out, but whether it was aimed at the poor house-elf or the women in the room beyond the door was anybody's guess. "Right then, what shall we do?"

Andromeda wanted to see "the baby", but was fearful of rousing the wrath of their aunt. She said as much to Bellatrix.

"Tosh," the tall girl said. "They'll be in there 'til lunch anyway. Which room's the nursery?" And she marched up the stairs. Andromeda turned to Narcissa. "Coming? she asked. Narcissa shrugged her shoulders, and followed.

After peeking in several rooms on the first floor, and finding only starchily pressed guestrooms, the three trooped to the second floor. The third door on the left proved to be the treasure. Quietly openly the door a crack, three faces peered in. The room was darkened, and painted a dim blue. An ornate crib stood in the centre of the room, covered in lacy netting which hung from the roof. A mobile twirled in a corner over a dark wooden rocking chair. A bookshelf and a change-table completed the simple room.

Andromeda held her breath, and crept in, vaguely aware that she was closely followed by her sisters. Gently she parted the netting around the cot, and stood on tip-toe to admire the sleeping toddler inside. The little boy stirred, but did not wake. Narcissa stretched to peek over beside her, and Bellatrix leant in.

"Ah, wittle Regulus," she murmured.

Andromeda whispered. "Isn't he so cute!"

"He's a baby," Narcissa replied, completely untaken with her cousin. "Babies are babies."

"Not this one. He's one of us, Narcissa. And not even four months old, aren't you sweetie," she cooed to the baby. Regulus gave a sigh, and wriggled, but didn't wake up. His pale face seemed more wan-looking than usual in the dim light. The recent bout of sickness had been quite hard on him from the way Mother had talked, thought Andromeda. Poor little mite, to be sick so often.

"You gonna be in trouble if the elf finds you," said a child's voice at the door. The three girls spun around. A two-year-old boy stood there, his black suit stopping short at a pair of scuffed knees that weren't quite hidden by the long grey socks. Dark brown eyes grinned at them from underneath a head of dark hair that looked as though Sirius had just escaped from a good combing.

Andromeda smiled, and went to sweep her little cousin into a big hug. He protested in vain, and then grudgingly submitted to her attentions. Bellatrix ruffled his hair roughly, and dodged a pointed elbow, before returning to the baby.

"Bah, house-elves!" she said. "It won't say anything if I tell it too, and if it does, I'll…I'll give it a good swift kick!"

Narcissa raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

"You hear that Reggie," she whispered to the still sleeping boy. "We can teach you everything. He hasn't really got anyone except us. And as if Grandmother or Aunt Walburga will teach him how to play games and tricks! We can show him how to get around them." Bella grinned in Sirius' direction. "Like we do that rat over there!" She was rewarded with a huge grin from boy still wrapped in Andromeda's arms. "Fancy having to live with Grandmother!" Bellatrix leaned in further to tickle Regulus' toes.

"Don't Bella, you'll wake him!" Andromeda admonished.

"Too late," said a bored Narcissa.

The little boy opened his eyes slowly and took in the three strange faces peering down at him. His face screwed up a little, and the girls drew back, afraid that he would start crying, and then they would all be in trouble. But Regulus had apparently decided there was nothing scary about these people, and his face broke into a little grin.

"Ohhhh," cried Bella and Andromeda. Even Narcissa managed a little smile.

Eventually Narcissa managed to drag her infatuated sisters and Sirius away from Regulus' room and back downstairs. They were busy playing a game of hide-and-seek when the girls' father arrived at the front door. Bella and Andromeda ran to meet him, while Narcissa went to inform the other adults in the parlour.

Cygnus Black was a tall, middle-aged wizard with black hair that was only starting to show silver threads. A proud man, the only affection he ever showed tended to be limited to his wife and daughters, particularly Bellatrix. Bella loved her father madly, and followed his example in everything. Where Druella could ask Bellatrix to do something until she was blue in the face, Cygnus only had to mention something once in his quiet voice, and Bella would race to do it.

Now, she raced her sister to be first to welcome her father and wish him a Merry Christmas.

"Oof!" Cygnus exclaimed, as his eldest daughter bowled into him. "Easy, Bella. Take your time. I don't need to be going to St. Mungo's on Christmas!" He smiled at Andromeda. "Merry Christmas girls, Sirius. Where's your mother and Narcissa?"

"In the parlour, Papa. Narcissa went to tell everyone that you've arrived." Andromeda paused. Faintly she could hear plaintive cries coming from upstairs. "I guess Regulus knows you're here too. Better tell Aunt Walburga."

Cygnus led the way to the front parlour, where he was greeted by the rest of the family. Walburga scowled slightly when Andromeda informed her that the baby was crying upstairs, and went up to fetch him. Irma exclaimed over how Cygnus worked too hard, and reprimanded Druella on allowing him to continue in such a fashion. "Why, he'll work himself to death, and then where will you and the girls be?"

Druella forced a smile, but was saved from further comment when a loud crash shook the room. Heads spun around to focus accusing eyes on a very guilty looking Bellatrix. Walburga had returned to the room with a subdued Regulus on her hip and pursed her lips severely at the scene. Bella stood in a cloud of dark dust, which swirled around her feet and hands in delicate wisps. The adults were unamused, but Narcissa and Andromeda watched with small smiles on their faces as the powder mist clung to Bellatrix no matter how hard she tried to shake it away. The ten-year-old's eyes widened as she glanced down at her hands and noticed the palms turning a bright shade of green. She shrieked, and waved them about for the adults to see.

"Papa! Mamma! Help! I'm – I'm turning green!" she cried, obviously horrified at this new turn of events. Cygnus chuckled, and Druella frowned. But it was her aunt who replied.

"Well, Bellatrix, if you will insist on playing with vials of strange powders, then you must expect to take the consequences. Honestly, doesn't your mother teach you to sit and be quiet, like a young lady ought?"

Bella's mother bristled at this new attack on her family. Walburga _would_ always take the opportunity to criticize the girls, in particular Bellatrix. How equally frustrating it was that her second daughter always seemed to provide a reason for her aunt to do so! Druella stood up and shook the creases from her dress. Pulling out her wand, she waved it at her daughter. Bellatrix was immediately encased within a glowing bubble of magic.

"Come Bella," and the girl meekly followed her mother from the parlour. Narcissa's eyebrows rose as Andromeda looked on with sympathy.

A house-elf appeared in the doorway after Druella and Bellatrix had passed. She motioned to Irma and Walburga. "Ah, finally. Cygnus, Orion, lunch is ready."

"What about Mamma and Bella?" asked Andromeda, and then regretted speaking the moment immediately after the words left her mouth. Aunt Walburga glared at her and the girl felt that she could sink through the floor. Aunt Walburga's stare could freeze a rampaging troll.

"They will have to join us once Bellatrix has been sorted. Stupid girl to play with things she knows she should not touch."

"Now, now Walburga. She is just high-spirited. Druella has always had a hard-time keeping her in line. Bellatrix is an intelligent girl," soothed her mother-in-law, who had a deep spot reserved for her eldest grand-child.

"If I were her mother, she would not set foot outside her room until she could control herself. Young girls ought to be restrained. I dread to think how she will manage to disgrace us when she begins attending school. My _sons_ would never dare disgrace themselves or the family in such a way."

Sirius fidgeted awkwardly. He had been greatly amused by Bella's trick with the powder. It had looked like fun. Well, maybe not to have it happen to himself, but to see someone else in the predicament. He sighed. Things only got interesting when his cousins came to stay. Ordinarily Mother wouldn't let him near anything that might be fun, and he was still too small to reach most of the good stuff. Little Sirius wished his Christmas wish that he might grow taller like his cousin Bellatrix, and have fun like her.

Orion cleared his throat, and Cygnus spoke. "Mother, sister, should we perhaps be heading in to lunch? I'm sure my brother is as hungry as I. Bellatrix and Druella may join us when they are ready, and the elves will keep their dinner hot. Sirius, Andromeda, Narcissa? Shall we dine now?"

Andromeda sighed in relief at her father's words. She had thought she may have started a huge family argument. She should have remembered not to provoke her aunt's temper like that. Waiting until the end of the procession to the dining room, Andromeda trailed behind, glancing up the staircase for a sight of her mother or sister. Playing with Regulus earlier had thrown them off, she decided. Or at least, it had for Bellatrix and herself. Narcissa was rarely ruffled by anything. Regulus had been so, well, so sweet and warm, that Andromeda had forgotten how careful one had to be when attending a Black family gathering. Tiptoeing on eggshells was an understatement. Edging around a group of super-sensitive acromantulas was more like it. Grandmother was so proud and judgemental, and Aunt Walburga so openly snappish and scornful, it took all of Andromeda's willpower not to slap her hands over her ears and try to will herself back to her bedroom at Blackmere Hall. She pitied poor little Sirius. He always looked so happy to see them all, even Narcissa.

Narcissa calmly seated herself at the table between her aunt and grandmother. Her father and Uncle were at the ends. Andromeda placed herself opposite her sister, and tried to catch her eye. Narcissa refused to be drawn in. She knew Andromeda was seeking to share mutual sympathy for Bellatrix, but Narcissa personally thought her eldest sister deserved her predicament. She herself would never dare to touch anything and cause such a fuss. Such an unseemly fuss. Delicately she accepted a napkin from her grandmother, and faintly glowed when Aunt Walburga complimented her on her manners. Yes, manners and appearance were everything. How could you expect to be taken seriously by good society without them? That was what Bellatrix and Andromeda didn't seem to understand. Your family name was everything; it defined you and your place in society. And the Black family name was one of the elite of wizarding society. Why, they were related to all the families who mattered: her cousins were the Rosiers, who were her mother's kin, and then there were her Aunt Walburga's noble family, the Melifluas. Not to mention her esteemed ancestors of the Black clan. Narcissa Black was truly pleased with her family. The purest of magic ran in their veins, unpolluted by the impurities of the muggles.

Narcissa often shocked outsiders by the gravity of her countenance, and the way she behaved. They found it hard to imagine that this girl was only just six years old. But her family accepted it as natural. Her aunts complimented on her lady-like ways, and held her up as a perfect model for Andromeda and Bellatrix to mould themselves against. Druella treated her daughter as a diminutive adult, and her sisters forgot that she was their junior. And Narcissa loved it. She was born to be in control, born to be at the height of society – now all she need do was wait patiently for the day her age caught up with her.

So now she sat quietly and listened to the flow of conversation around her. Across the table, Andromeda idly did the same, but without any of the unobserved interest her sister had. Andromeda was listening more for footsteps that would indicate the return of her mother and Bellatrix.

"Walburga, dear, we must find a suitable tutor for young Sirius. The boy cannot be expected to learn from his mother all his life. You will end up with him becoming another namby-pamby boy, with no back bone. The boy is intelligent – how could he not be – but he must have that intelligence cultivated. And now that we also have Regulus – well, you must provide for him also."

"Mother, do you not think the baby is a little young yet for a tutor?" Orion asked, his eyebrows raised in amusement. Although officially head of his household, he was under no delusions. His mother held the reins firmly, as she always had. He knew this was a point of frustration for his wife, but did not worry over it. Irma was his mother, and a proud Black. She had always been in charge, and he could see no reason to change the situation.

Walburga was wearing another of her frowns. Regulus had been whisked off by another house-elf to be fed. "Mother, he is not yet two years old! And Sirius only four! I had thought perhaps a nanny, such as I and my brothers had. Maybe a tutor for Sirius in a year or two. But we need help to take care of the two of them. I, of course, can't be expected to always be running around after a baby _and_ a little boy. And since you sacked the nurse," she muttered under her breath, so that only Narcissa caught it.

"Tut tut, Walburga. No need to jump like that. Besides, it will take a while to find a suitable tutor. We can't have just anyone for my grandsons now, can we?"

Walburga was saved from biting back at her mother-in-law by the arrival of Druella and Bellatrix. Druella with her head held high swept in and seated herself beside her daughter and husband. Irma seemed inclined to comment, but refrained when she glanced at the cold look in Druella's eyes. Bellatrix had the good grace to keep her head bowed as she took the final seat at the table. Andromeda gave her a small smile when she noticed that Bella's palms were lined with bright green, and there was a slight tinge around her nails. Bellatrix did not look up however; she seemed to sense at least five pairs of eyes watching her, and she felt she could sink through the floor. Gone was the rash impulsive girl, to be replaced by one who was mortified. Her mother had had some stern words to say, words that could never be repeated to anyone. And if only Grandmother would stop staring like that.

Irma cleared her throat, and the silence that had emerged dissipated. Murmured conversations began again, as she summoned the meal to be served. Instantly the dishes laid out on the table were filled with a sumptuous feast, and Andromeda's mouth watered. It seemed so long since breakfast. Ever so slowly it seemed, as politeness and etiquette demanded, the adults began to help themselves to whatever took their fancy. The three girls waited their turn; when it came, even Bella lifted her head as Andromeda offered her crispy roasted potatoes and steaming vegetables. Sirius tugged Andromeda's sleeve, and she helped him to fill his plate. Conversation was limited as the Black family celebrated the festive season in a poised and dignified fashion.

After the meal was complete, the family gathered in the parlour once more for the giving and receiving of gifts. A lavish tree decorated with silver baubles bearing the Black family crest ("toujours pur") had been erected during their absence. Regulus delighted in the twinkling of lights reflecting off each trinket, and squirmed in his cousin Andromeda's arms.

As she hurriedly unwrapped each gift given to her, Bellatrix could feel disappointment growing. Why, there was nothing interesting here at all, she thought in dismay, as she ripped the paper off a silver locket from her Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga.

"Oh, you too! Aren't they pretty?" asked Andromeda, who was sporting an identical necklace. "Here, let me help you put it on. Narcissa's got one too!" Bellatrix rolled her eyes, but allowed her sister to fasten the locket around her neck. Rubbing the finely wrought silver, she was only mildly to interested to notice an intricate "B" engraved into the back. As she turned back around, her grandmother handed her another gift. It was large and heavy; bound to be a book. Bella tried to smile, but felt she failed miserably. What on earth would she do with a book? Slowly unwrapping it, she was soon sitting with a large hand-bound book in her lap. Gilded letters on the front read "The Virtues of Purity: Salazar Slytherin's Noble Legacies". Bella's eyebrows raised. Behind her, Narcissa craned her neck around to get a glimpse of the book that now all the adults were staring at.

Cygnus smiled. "Ah, mother. Once again you have found a treasure. Bellatrix, you have a very thoughtful grandmother. Where did you find such an exquisite tome?"

Irma sniffed, but she was pleased to be praised. "I have my connections. A very old acquaintance who specialises in rare books. You take care of that my girl. Read it cover to cover and ingrain it into your mind. The greatest wizard of all time, was Salazar Slytherin. If only there were more like him, perhaps this world would not be is such a disgraceful state."

"He's the wizard that Slytherin House is named after, isn't he Grandmother?" Narcissa inquired.

"Yes, and he was the Founder of Hogwarts, too."

"But I thought there were four," Andromeda said, puzzled. "Slytherin, Raven…Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Ger – Gri – …"

"Gryffindor," answered Irma, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Godric Gryffindor. Yes, he was the one who insisted on allowing Mudbloods to study at the school. And look at what that has resulted in!" she added, looking pointedly at her granddaughters. The three of them stared blankly at her, unsure what her point was.

"Hmpff, well. You'll be starting there soon Bellatrix. So, read that book and prepare yourself. You all are descended from a long and noble pureblood line – see that you strive to uphold the honour and purity of the Black family."

"I should never want to dirty myself by associating with impure people, Grandmother," Narcissa announced, with her little nose in the air.

"Pshaw! Muggles are stupid," Bellatrix said scornfully, ignoring her mother's gasp of annoyance at her undignified outburst. "Not worth bothering with. Vile really. Kind of like something that shouldn't exist. An abomba-abomon-…"

"Abomination," supplied Druella.

"Yes, exactly," said Orion. "An abomination. Couldn't have put it better myself. Well said Bellatrix."

Andromeda sat quietly during the discussion. Her sisters were fervently listening to the adults discuss the state of muggles and muggle-borns, and the greatness of purity of blood. Somehow it didn't sit right with her. If someone was born with magic, didn't that mean that, well, that they were meant to have it? What difference did it make who your parents were, or how far back your line went? It all sounded too much like the pedigrees that you attach to animals. She watched as Sirius ignored the debate around him, as he spun in fierce circles, his new green cloak swirling around him.

Bellatrix ended the conversation as Cygnus and his family stood up to take their leave. "Why doesn't someone just get rid of them all," she said passionately. We have magic don't we? Why don't we just get rid of all the Muggles? Who needs them anyway? We're obviously more powerful than they are."

She got no answer, but Andromeda did notice something gold and shiny pass from Irma's hand to that of her eldest granddaughter as she stepped into the fireplace. Narcissa also refrained from any snide comments as Bellatrix tripped and nearly dropped Floo Powder all over the carpet.


End file.
